


Hide and Seek

by gottalovev



Category: Lost, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Crossover, Episode: s04e02 Confirmed Dead, Flirting, Gen, Pre-Iron Man 1, Tony Being Tony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-19
Updated: 2013-06-19
Packaged: 2017-12-15 11:14:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/848889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gottalovev/pseuds/gottalovev
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Tony Stark met Charlotte Lewis? In Tunisia?</p><p>(MCU/LOST crossover)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hide and Seek

**Author's Note:**

> Made for the [Intoabar](http://intoabar.livejournal.com) challenge :) My prompt was: "Tony Stark walks into a bar and meets... Charlotte!"
> 
> Many thanks to [Bluelittlegirl](http://bluelittlegirl.livejournal.com) for the great beta, it's so appreciated :) 
> 
> As a FYI, this fic is set approximately four years before the events of Iron Man (so pre-kidnapping), to fit into the LOST timeline.

_Houmt Souk, 2004_

Weaving in the narrow streets, Tony is almost ready to admit that he may not have thought his little escape through. He made a game of losing Happy in the market, but managed to get himself turned around and isn't sure in what direction the car is parked anymore. If he'd followed script after his meeting, he'd be on his way back to the resort with its infinity pool and a high probability of a massage in his near future. 

Tony got rid of his suit jacket earlier, gave it to a man with a goatee and a similar build as himself in exchange for a hat. A good trade, though the man certainly had no idea he'd just inherited a $2,000' custom-tailored Armani. The Tunisian sun is hard and relentless, though, and he's sweating through his clothes. Shoving his tie deep in a pant pocket, Tony opens several buttons on his shirt and rolls up his sleeves, but it's a lost cause against the heat.

In a street with buildings just as white as the others, Tony hears the unmistakable sound of glasses clicking and mixed conversations that announce bars everywhere. This one seems adjacent to an hotel, and when he slips through a blue door as patrons exit, Tony has to blink several times to adjust from blinding light to smoky penumbra. The promise of a drink is like a siren song, and Tony takes a seat at the bar while inwardly thanking Tunisia for its lax stand on alcohol for a Muslim country.

He flashes his best smile at the barman, who nods when he asks for a boukha. The big handful of dinars Tony pushes on the bar, at least five times the price asked for the drink, earns him a crooked smile back and the assurance of a prompt service as long as he'll want it.

Right now, Tony has the luxury of being almost ignored. He drew attention when he came in, probably for being a new face, but there's no hint that he was recognized. The rareness of it makes Tony shoulders relax. In his pocket, his phone is buzzing with incoming calls every ten seconds, and he feel a tiny bit guilty of worrying Happy, enough that he sends him a text. _I'm fine, relax. Stopped for a drink, call you soon._. Now if Happy will manage to _read_ said message is a whole other thing, though JARVIS should help.

The bar is small, but the handful of tables are all occupied, mostly by men drinking beer and smoking as they converse. Tony's eyes are immediately drawn to the only two women in the room, sitting by themselves. The contrast between the Tunisian beauty, sporting a long dark braid, and her companion – red hair and pale, freckled skin - is arresting. They are being watched a bit disapprovingly by some of the patrons (women! by themselves! drinking!) and they know it, not that they seem to particularly care about it. A young man at the table next to them tries to get their attention but is quickly shot down in French by the brunette, generating laughs from everyone. It must not have been too harsh because the guy laughs too and raises his glass in a salute. 

Tony's on his second drink when the red head stands up, revealing legs that go on forever between her shorts and her sturdy walking boots. He's not the only one to watch as she walks to the bar, ending up just to the right of him. Now that she's closer, Tony can see that she has blue eyes just as pale as the rest of her, and when she orders two Celtia, it's with a definite British accent.

Tony can't resist and engages her. "Please tell me you're an archeologist?" 

The woman turns to him with a raised eyebrow, unimpressed, and it makes Tony smile for real. He's always liked a challenge.

"It's the outfit," he adds, gesturing to the shirt-vest-short-boots combo with the assorted big hat he can see by her chair. It's also the dirt under her nails and on her clothes and the faint sunburn on her arms, though he keeps that to himself. "I might be wrong, but frankly you look the part. Am I wrong?"

She shrugs. "You are wrong."

He'd been so sure. But then she smiles a little bit, and that's definitely an opening. "I am a cultural anthropologist." 

It's mostly to rile her up - those soft-science types are often touchy about those things - but Tony grins and flips his hand on one side and then the other. "Po-tah-to, po-tay-to." Then, because she doesn't protest but rolls her eyes: "Found what you were looking for yet?"

Her smile is blinding. "I did, indeed."

She received her new beer but isn't going back to her table, so Tony scoots a little closer.

"Sounds exciting, tell me more." Not that he's that interested, to be honest, but she is gorgeous when enthralled. 

The young woman leans close to whisper near his ear; she's definitely flirting back, but he's confused at her words: "I found a polar bear."

Tony knows his eyebrows have shot up towards his hairline, and the girl's grin is wicked as she draws back.

"A polar bear. In Houmt Souk." Pardon him for sounding skeptical. 

"A polar bear skeleton, an hour from here in the desert near Medenine," she confirms. "And no, it didn't escape from a zoo."

"Then where did it come from?" Tony asks.

"You've surely heard about how they say they've found Oceanic flight 815?" she asks, and the jump in conversation is jarring.

"Sure, it's all over the news. But what does that have to do with a polar bear in the desert?"

"That wreckage? Is a fake. Oceanic 815 surely crashed on the island where the polar bear came from," the woman says with absolute conviction.

Frankly, Tony's worried she's suffering from bad insolation because she makes no sense at all. 

"Really?" he drawls a little. 

She laughs, and Tony frankly doesn't care if she's nuts, after all. Before he can offer to go talk about it somewhere less noisy – like his hotel room, maybe – Happy all but burst through the door, eyes wild, drawing all attention to him. To his credit, Happy finds his countenance rapidly when their eyes meet after he's done a quick assessment of the place. There might even be an exasperated expression that flicks over Happy's face when he notes how close to a beautiful woman Tony is standing, which is totally unwarranted.

"Sir," he says with a nod, before walking to the bar. Great, now he's brought attention to him.

A slender hand on his arm brings Tony's attention back to the woman. She's got that gleam in her eyes that means one of two things (and sometimes both at the same time). Either she wants in his bed, or she knows exactly who he is and she's after his money.

"How much is the secret of teleportation and time travel worth to you, Mr Stark?" she asks.

Yes, he'll admit, Tony's a little disappointed that it's the money and not sex. 

That's one original sales pitch, though; he's never heard it before. Tony's intrigued enough to hear how crazy this is going to get, but Happy is suddenly by his side, grabbing his upper arm and pulling him away and towards the door.

"I'm sorry, sir, but we need to leave right now."

"But…" Tony tries to protest, but Happy has been riled up for a while now, and he's like an unstoppable force.

The face the young woman makes as he's whisked away is just as disappointed as his must be – but for different reasons, probably. "Mr Stark, if I could just..."

Happy slaps a black Stark Industries card on the bar. "I suggest you submit your project for evaluation, Miss. If its potential is judged interesting, it will be presented to Mr Stark in time."

Which is a polite way to say 'My boss has no time for your delusions, good luck seeing that money'. Even though Tony appreciates the sentiment, he's a bit sad that he most probably won't hear about this one, ever. Tony waves at the girl as he's dragged back out in the sun, while she tries to get a word in still.

"This is serious! My name is Charlotte Staples Lew-"

Her voice becomes indistinguishable when they get back on the street, where Tony has to hurry to keep up the pace with Happy or his arm is going to get torn off.

"Hey, what's the rush? Charlotte was just –"

"Oh, I know what she was doing."

Tony can't help but laugh, Happy looks so grumpy. "I knew it, too! Why did you have to interrupt my fun?"

"Because I think you had enough fun for today." Meaningful pause. "Sir."

At least he's slowing down. Happy never could hold a grudge; that's why he's still working for him.

"Aww, don't be like that! Where's your sense of fun?" Tony needles.

"I lost it five minutes into an elaborate game of hide and seek in a strange country."

Tony winces; he walked right into that one. But since he never learns, he can't help himself. "Got to keep you on your toes, make you earn your pay."

He expects a glare but gets a smirk. "Found you, did I not?"

"You did, indeed," Tony says with a smile. "But seriously, teleportation _and_ time travel? You could have let me hear that one; it sounded neat. Did you know she found the skeleton of a polar bear in the desert?"

He gets a raised eyebrow. "A polar bear. Next she'll have dug C3-P0. Maybe he's the one who gave her those secrets."

Tony laughs. "Did you make a bad Star Wars joke almost relevant to our location?" 

Happy shrugs but smiles as he determinedly herds him towards the car. Sweating buckets once more, Tony has a thought for Charlotte's poor polar bear and resolves to have a drink in its memory, with extra ice, as soon as possible.

 

\- o -

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! ♥


End file.
